The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for issuing a ticket of the type used to identify a person entitled to board a plane, ship or train. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus for removing a ticket from an elongated rectangular ticket sheet consisting of a plurality of tickets separated by perforations, and issuing the ticket to a purchaser.
An apparatus for cutting a ticket from such a ticket sheet and issuing it is disclosed in Japanese patent application number 7-223348 (Publication number 9-67061 published Mar. 11, 1997) and shown in FIG. 7. Referring to FIG. 7, an elongated rectangular ticket sheet 1 is illustrated which consists of a plurality of tickets 3, 3', 3" connected end-to-end by transverse lines of perforations 2, 2' which permit each ticket to be separated from the ticket sheet 1 for conveyance to a customer. In this prior art apparatus, the ticket sheet 1 is fed by a first feed means 30 along a feed passage (not shown) to a cutting part 400 of the apparatus. A second feed means 50 is positioned downstream from the cutting part 400, and a cutting roller 500 is interposed between the first and second feed means 30 and 50 at the cutting part 400. The feed means 30 and 50 are rotated at different speeds, the rotational speed of feed means 50 being greater than that of feed means 30.
The cutting roller 500, which is shaped somewhat like a bead of an abacus, consists of an axle 510 and a surface 520 formed of two conical portions 520a and 520b having a common base 520c at the center thereof. The circumferential surface of the common base 520c forms the cutting edge of the cutter roller 500. The base 520c has a greater diameter than the remainder of the surface 520 of roller 500, and functions as the cutting portion of the roller.
In operation, the leading edge 1' of the ticket sheet 1 is inserted in feed means 30 and conveyed by rotation of feed means 30 to the feed means 50. When the leading edge 1' of ticket sheet 1 reaches the feed means 50, rotation of feed means 30 is stopped, rotation of feed means 50 is started, and the leading edge 1' of ticket sheet 1 is conveyed by rotation of feed means 50 to the position shown in FIG. 7. When the line of perforations 2 separating ticket 3 from ticket 3' reaches the cutting roller 500, rotation of feed means 30 is restarted at a slower rotational speed than that of feed means 50. Because the rotational speed of feed means 50 is greater than the rotational speed of feed means 30, and because the perforations 2 of ticket sheet 1 are pressed against the cutting roller 500, the ticket sheet 1 is stretched around the perforations 2 from both sides.
The cutting edge at common base 520c of the cutting roller 500 makes a shallow cut in the perforations 2 and a small diamond-shaped opening is formed in the center of the perforations. As the power for pulling the ticket sheet 1 is further increased, the diamond-shaped opening is ripped along the perforations 2 and the diamond-shaped opening is extended gradually. As a result, the ticket 3 is separated from ticket 3' of the ticket sheet 1.
However, a problem encountered with this prior art apparatus is that the ticket 3 is not always cut completely along the perforations 2. Consequently, it sometimes occurs that a scrap of paper is left on both edges of the separated ticket 3 although the center part of the perforations 2 has been cut clearly. If a scrap of paper is left in an edge of the separated ticket 3, it may become jammed in a feed passage of the ticket issuing apparatus. Also, the ticket may not have a neat appearance which could cause a customer to question whether it is genuine.